Elizabeth Berkley Net Worth

Elizabeth Berkley, an American actress, has a net worth of $6 million. She is best known for her roles as Jessie Spano on NBC’s “Saved by the Bell” (1989–1993) and Nomi Malone in the film “Showgirls” (1995). Berkley has appeared in over 60 acting credits, including “The First Wives Club” (1996), “Any Given Sunday” (1999), and “Roger Dodger” (2002). She reprised her role as Jessie Spano on Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” reboot, which began streaming in 2020. In 2006, she founded the online self-help program Ask-Elizabeth and published the book “Ask Elizabeth: Real Answers to Everything You Secretly Wanted to Ask About Love, Friends, Your Body… and Life in General” in 2011. In 2013, Berkley competed on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” finishing in sixth place.

Early Life

Elizabeth Berkley was born on July 28, 1972, in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She grew up with her mother Jere, a gift basket business owner, her father Fred, a lawyer, and her older brother Jason. Her family practiced Conservative Judaism, and she celebrated her 12th birthday with a bat mitzvah. Berkley has heterochromia, which makes her left eye both green and brown while her right eye is completely green. She attended Cranbrook Kingswood School and Farmington High School, graduating in 1990. Berkley had a passion for dancing from a young age, training with professional choreographers in New York and performing in ballets and musicals.

Elizabeth Berkley Career

At the age of 10, Elizabeth auditioned for the title role in “Annie,” but was not cast because the filmmakers thought she was too tall. She began modeling for Elite as a teenager and landed her first acting roles in 1986, guest-starring on NBC’s “Gimme a Break!” and “Silver Spoons.” In 1987, she co-starred with Shelley Duvall and Elliott Gould in the TV movie “Frog,” and appeared in the short film “Platinum Blonde” in 1988. In 1989, Berkley was cast as brainy feminist Jessie Spano on “Saved by the Bell,” a role she originally auditioned for Kelly Kapowski, but the producers gave her the part of Jessie instead. She also appeared in the made-for-TV movies “Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style” (1992) and “Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas” (1994). Her character is well-known for her brief addiction to caffeine pills, and the scene where Jessie sings “I’m So Excited” before sobbing “I’m so…scared!” has reached cult status since the episode’s 1990 airing.

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During her time on “Saved by the Bell,” Berkley guest-starred on several TV shows, including “The Hogan Family” (1990), “Life Goes On” (1990), “Step by Step” (1992), and “Baywatch” (1992). In 1994, she appeared in the television film “Bandit Goes Country,” a “Smokey and the Bandit” spin-off, as well as in “Diagnosis: Murder” and “Burke’s Law.” Her next major role was as exotic dancer Nomi Malone in Paul Verhoeven’s “Showgirls.” The NC-17 film grossed $37.8 million at the box office and resulted in Berkley being dropped by her agent. Despite the backlash, she found new representation at United Talent Agency. In 1996, she voiced the title role in “Armitage III: Poly Matrix” and co-starred with Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton in “The First Wives Club,” which grossed $181 million worldwide. Berkley then appeared in “The Real Blonde” (1997) and “Random Encounter” (1998), ending the decade with Oliver Stone’s hit football drama “Any Given Sunday.”

In 2001, Berkley appeared in Woody Allen’s “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion” and began a three-episode stint on the Fox sitcom “Titus.” She appeared in “Roger Dodger” (2002) and guest-starred on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (2003) before co-starring with Richard Dreyfuss in her Broadway debut, a 2004 production of “Sly Fox.” In 2005, she appeared in an Off-Broadway production of “Hurlyburly,” earning critical acclaim for her performance. In 2008, Berkley had a recurring role on “CSI: Miami,” playing the ex-girlfriend of David Caruso’s Horatio Caine in nine episodes, and hosted the Bravo competition series “Step It Up and Dance.” She then appeared in the “Donnie Darko” sequel “S. Darko” (2009), Showtime’s “The L Word” (2009), and Fox’s “New Girl” (2016). In February 2015, Berkley reunited with her “Saved by the Bell” co-stars on an episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Personal Life

Elizabeth married artist Greg Lauren on November 1, 2003, at the Esperanza Hotel in Cabo San Lucas. Her wedding dress was designed by Ralph Lauren, Greg’s uncle. Although she still goes by her maiden name professionally, her legal name is Elizabeth Berkley Lauren. The couple welcomed their son Sky on July 20, 2012.

Berkley is passionate about animal rights and appeared in a 1997 ad for PETA’s “Lettuce Be Lean” campaign wearing a $600 gown made of collard greens. She was also featured in PETA’s “Sexiest Vegetarian of the Year” poll in 2008 and 2009. In 1998, Leonardo DiCaprio and his friends repeatedly harassed Berkley, leading her then-boyfriend, Roger Wilson, to confront them. DiCaprio reportedly ordered his friends to assault Wilson, resulting in a $45 million lawsuit against DiCaprio, which was dismissed in 2004.

Elizabeth Berkley Awards

In 1996, Elizabeth shared a National Board of Review award for Best Acting by an Ensemble with her “The First Wives Club” castmates. She was also nominated for three Young Artist Awards for “Saved by the Bell”: Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast (1990), Best Young Actress Starring in an Off-Primetime or Cable Series (1992), and Best Young Actress in an Off-Primetime Series (1993).

How Rich is Elizabeth Berkley Now?

Elizabeth Berkley net worth is $6 million.